


Homesick At Space Camp Except Space Camp Is The Smash Mansion

by ChemicalStardust



Series: It's Always Sunny In Smash [1]
Category: Super Smash Brothers
Genre: Advice, Bonding, Comfort, Confessions, Gen, Homesickness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-20
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-08-04 17:55:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16351352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChemicalStardust/pseuds/ChemicalStardust
Summary: When Ness starts to feel homesick, a certain knight does what he can to make the boy feel better.





	Homesick At Space Camp Except Space Camp Is The Smash Mansion

**Author's Note:**

> Lately I've been trying to work on characterization, and I think writing Smash Bros. fics is a great way to do it since there are so many characters that can be worked with. I'm not exactly sure what prompted me to write this, I just felt like putting my secondaries into a story together and this was the final product. 
> 
> (Also I really couldn't think of a better title for this, it originally came from an old Fall Out Boy song, so yeah.)

Ness didn’t know what to think anymore. 

With a few final steps, he managed to hike himself up the giant hill overlooking the Smash Mansion. He took in a deep breath, the cool air hitting his lungs as he did so. Stretching out his muscles, he slowly sat himself down on the long, uncut grass, attempting to make himself comfortable. 

The boy’s day was coming to a close, and truthfully he couldn’t have been more thankful. He had fought in multiple battles, all of which he lost, and overall was not on his usual game. Many other Smashers could see this, especially his closest friend and partner in crime Lucas, who he had been paired up with during a Team Battle. Ness had kept a distance from all of them after the events unfolded, and when asked what was wrong he avoided the question and then vanished. 

Now here he was, located far outside the Smash Mansion, hoping that no one would find him all alone. He knew that dinner would be starting soon, so many of his fellow fighters would be gathering in the mess hall. He didn't have plans to join them tonight; he had no appetite whatsoever.

Ness knew exactly what was wrong. He knew what was getting to him and why he hasn’t been himself lately. He wouldn’t dare admit it, however, it would just make him seem pathetic. Nearly everyone went through the same situation at some point, and he really wasn’t in the mood to hear the words “get over it”.

Despite his thoughts, Ness couldn’t help but admire the sunset that was slowly beginning to sink into the mountains. The mix of colors scattered across the sky as the stars slowly began to appear above. Dinner was getting ready to be served, however Ness didn’t feel like attending the event tonight; it’s not like he had an appetite in the first place.

He sighed again. Ness didn’t want to come off the way he had been, but truthfully there was no way he could avoid it. With too much on his mind, it only began to take control of him. The longer the thoughts remained in his head, the more it continued to eat away at his well being.

His throat tightened as he continued to dwell upon it. He hated feeling this way. He hated that fact that he felt the need to bottle up all of his emotions, knowing that he’d only burden everyone if he said anything about it. Pulling his knees close to his chest, he buried his face in them, trying to ignore any tears he could feel coming on.

“Don’t you think it’s a little late to be all the way out here alone?”

Ness’ head immediately lifted up as a deep voice startled him, breaking his thought process. As he turned around to see who it was, he was completely taken back when he saw Meta Knight standing on the hill behind him.

“S-Sir Meta Knight!” Ness’ voice began to shake due to the sudden encounter. “I’m so sorry, but I wasn’t expecting to run into you at this time.” 

“The same could be said for you as well, Ness.” The knight slowly walked towards the boy, his cape covering his entire body. Gesturing his hand to the open space, he asked, “Do you mind?”

“Oh, no, of course not, go ahead.” Ness watched as Meta Knight took a seat next to him, the cape still protectively wrapped around his body. 

The two sat in complete silence for a few moments, watching the sunlight continue to fade into the Earth. Ness avoided any eye contact with Meta Knight, still wondering why he was out here and how he came up on him so quickly. It was no secret that the knight preferred to be alone for much of the time. Ness has barely spoken to Meta Knight ever since he first arrived at the mansion, and the only things he knew about him were what has been said by other Smashers.

Deciding to break the silence between them, Meta Knight finally spoke up. “I was surprised by your performance on the battlefield today.”

Ness sighed. “Let me guess, I did terrible, right? Are you gonna tell me that I sucked and let everyone down? Because in all honesty that’s the vibe everyone else is giving me.” 

Meta Knight blinked, taken aback by Ness’ outlash. “Actually, no. That’s not what I was going to say at all.”

The boy bit his tongue. He shouldn’t have snapped like that. Meta Knight was the last person anyone would speak to that way, and Ness didn’t want to take his frustration out on him. He threw his hands to his face again, showing his regret.

“If I must be honest, I noticed that you didn’t seem as focused or determined as you usually do,” Meta Knight continued, noticing Ness’ state but choosing to ignore it. “I don’t mean to upset you by saying this, but you were all that the other Smashers seemed to be talking about.” 

“Wonderful. I can only imagine the things they said about me behind my back.”

The knight let out a sigh. Ness clearly didn’t want to hear it. Truthfully, nobody had insulted him at all, in fact the other Smashers were quite concerned, almost worried. Meta Knight recalled that Marth told him how he thought Ness looked physically ill as they watched the fight between him and Ganondorf, and after he overheard Palutena tell Rosalina that Ness looked as if he wanted to break down in tears leaving the match. It was even reported that Lucas admitted to Samus that he was starting to get extremely worried about Ness’ behavior. 

“Ness, although I don’t know the reason why, I understand that you are upset, but I need you to bare with me for a moment.”

The boy redirected his gaze back to Meta Knight. Expecting some kind of lecture, he let out a sigh.

“No one said anything negative about you during the fight today. If anything, they’re a lot more worried about your well being than you being placed at the top of the leaderboard. You’re not going to win every match you fight in; you know this, and that’s okay. The other fighters are concerned that your behavior has nothing to do with any of these matches.”

Ness just sat there, listening to Meta Knight go on. Why would the other Smashers be so concerned about him? They’ve never seemed to worry before, why was this time so different?

“Marth told me you looked sick. Palutena said you seemed as if you were going to cry. According to Samus, you scared Lucas half to death.”

This only prompted Ness to tense up as he began to dig his nails into his palms. As if any of them know how he really feels, why should they be concerned? Ness has barely said two words to Meta Knight before, and now he’s trying to lecture him? He barely ever interacts with anyone, and Ness is expected to think he’s some kind of expert?

All of Ness’ inner frustration had finally made him crack. Turning back to Meta Knight, he asked, “Do you want to know why I’ve been so upset?”

The knight blinked, somewhat surprised at the bitterness in the boy’s voice. “Only if it makes you feel better”, he responded.

Ness nodded, taking in a deep breath. “The truth is, Meta Knight, I’m-I’m homesick, okay?”

Meta Knight just stared at him. “Homesick?”

“Yes, I, I miss my home, alright? I miss my house and my mom and my sister and my dog; I miss everything about it, and it’s been getting to me. I can’t focus because it’s all that’s been on my mind.” 

The knight just simply shook his head. “Ness, there’s no reason to be ashamed of something like that.”

“Yes there is!” The boy stood himself up as he began to pace, his voice cracking as his eyes began to water. “It’s pathetic! You don’t hear any of the other Smashers getting homesick like this! I can’t go to my mom for advice or pick up delivery from my sister; heck, I never even see my dad in the first place, but here I can’t even call him! I’ve been a fighter ever since the beginning, Meta Knight, you’d think I’d be used to being so far away from home by now, but no, of course not. I came here as a representative of my universe and I’m supposed to be a role model, not some kid who cries because he’s sleeping in a different bed every night. I pretty sure fighters like you don’t get homesick, so why should I?”

Meta Knight sighed, sitting himself up as he walked forward and positioned himself next to the boy. “If you’re implying that I myself don’t get homesick, I must inform you that you’re wrong.”

Ness turned around, rubbing his eyes. “Wait, what?”

“To be clear, I would never admit this, but since you’re in the same situation I feel as though I can share it with you. Do you promise to not repeat this?”

The boy nodded. “Absolutely.”

Meta Knight unwrapped his cape from his body. “There are times where I find myself missing my life on Popstar while at this tournament. Yes, I have Kirby and his Majesty alongside me, however I can’t help but think of everyone else that I consider close to me. Mainly I just hope that my soldiers are getting by without me.”

Ness’ eyes lit up. “Soldiers?”

Although it was hidden by his mask, Meta Knight slightly grinned at the boy’s enthusiasm. “Yes. They’re some of the finest warriors in the galaxy. They’ve served by me for quite a long time and would do anything for me, as I would for them.” He turned to look at him. “Have I ever mentioned the time the Halberd crashed into the ocean?”

“Not that I know of. I only remember how it was taken over by the Subspace Army,” Ness responded. He was aware that Meta Knight was a high ranked soldier, however he never envisioned him as the commander of his own army. He sat back down and leaned in, wanting to know more. “What happened?”

“It was quite a while ago now, but Kirby actually destroyed the Reactor aboard the ship, which caused it to crash land.” The knight rubbed his head and sat back down next to the boy. “Looking back, I must admit that it was largely on my behalf, I had tried to take over Dream Land at the time. Kirby was simply trying to stop me.”

Ness gasped. “You tried taking over Dream Land?”

Meta Knight nodded. “My reason behind the decision was because I wasn’t satisfied with the lifestyle many of the citizens were living. I suppose I should have thought twice about it. Eventually I managed to raise it from the bottom of the ocean, but it took quite a while with a lot of work.”

Ness sat back in awe. He’s been on the Halberd quite a few times, all of them for matches. He could never imagine it being submerged underwater. “And your soldiers, they stuck by you through all of that?”

“Yes.” He closed his eyes. “I’ve never told them, but they’re truly the greatest group a warrior could ever ask for. I’m very thankful to serve as their leader.”

Ness smiled a little. Hearing Meta Knight talk about the people he was close with was a nice change of setting. This only prompted him to ask more questions.

“If you don’t mind me asking, is there anyone that runs Dedede’s castle while he’s here?”

“There is. His name is Bandana Dee. He’s the King’s most trusted and loyal servant, and dare I say closest companion. He’s very good at what he does.” The knight’s now opened eyes were focused in the direction of the mansion. “The King and Kirby are hoping that he’ll be able to attend this event sometime in the near future, but that has yet to happen. I believe that he’d make quite a name for himself here, however I don’t think anyone will be able to run Castle Dedede as well as he does.” 

Ness chuckled slightly. It still felt weird seeing Meta Knight open up like this, but he kind of liked it. “Well, he sounds great. I’d love to meet him sometime.”

Meta Knight nodded in agreement. “I hope you can. Truthfully, without him, it feels sort of...empty. Ever since our journey to retrieve the Master Crown, he’s become an important part of our group.”

The boy tilted his head. “Master Crown?”

“Some time ago now, Kirby, the King, Bandana Dee and myself traveled to retrieve an ancient crown known as the Master Crown at the request of an alien named Magolor. Turns out that it was all a set up and Magolor used us as a way to gain the crown’s powers for himself in an attempt to take over the universe.”

“Oh, wow.” Ness wasn’t sure what to say in response. 

“He was defeated and the crown was destroyed, however he survived the fight itself. Not too long after he apologized for everything, and Kirby accepted it.”

“Seriously?” Ness shook his head. “After everything he did to you guys, Kirby still forgave him?”

The knight nodded. “The three of us were infuriated at first, but soon after we realized that this wasn’t the first time Kirby had been betrayed like that. He’s always been able to forgive people regardless of what they’re done to him. While here, I’ve come to accept those that Kirby considers good people, whether I personally like them or not.”

“That’s like me with Lucas,” Ness said. “If he feels that he can trust them, then I believe him.” He grinned a bit. “I still keep an eye out, though. Just to be on the safe side.”

“And that is completely understandable,” Meta Knight responded.

The boy sighed. “I just want Lucas to know how cared about he is. He’s been through a lot more heartbreak than me and the other kids. I’m happy that he’s opened up a lot more, but there are still times where I can tell he’s hurting.” He swallowed past the lump in his throat. “I had considered talking to him about my situation, but...I couldn’t.”

Meta Knight looked at him. “Why is that?”

“It’s because I would’ve started talking about missing my Mom, and it doesn’t feel right to talk about with him because unlike me, he doesn’t have a Mom to go home to.”

The knight made no comment. The tragedy that had taken the life of Lucas’ mother wasn’t a secret to the other Smashers, and neither was what happened to his twin brother. He wasn’t the only fighter who has lost family members, however those who considered him a friend did everything they could to help him with the situation. Meta Knight admired the way Lucas and Ness had fought together; they truly did make an amazing team.

“Well, I’m sure that if he knew that, he’d appreciate you looking out for him.” 

The boy simply shrugged. “He’s one of the bravest people I know. When I first met him I had no idea that we had gone against the same enemy.” Ness gave off a look of disgust. “I thought that Porky helping Giygas against my friends and I was bad, but after learning about the harm he brought to Lucas and what he did to his family…” Ness should his head, balling his hands into fists. “It’s utterly despicable.”

Meta Knight remained seated as he continued to listen to Ness. He was familiar with who the boy was talking about; Porky had been a member of the Subspace Army. Recalling what he had heard, he asked, “That was when you saved him, right?”

“Yes.” He shifted, leaning his head into his hand. “He was extremely frightened at the time, and I remember seeing him run and fall. I wasn’t going to let Porky have his way with him. Not after everything that had happened.” Thinking for a moment, Ness looked back up at Meta Knight. “Didn’t you rescue him at one point during the battle too? From what I heard, it was him and Red?”

“I did.” The knight recalled back to that moment. “Marth, Ike and I noticed them while in the desert. Lucas was able to break both of them free from Galleom’s grasp and were falling to the ground. I managed to fly and grab the two at the very last second.”

“Well then, thank you for saving the lives of my friends.” 

Meta Knight looked at the boy. No one has ever genuinely thanked him that way before; truthfully, it was nice to hear.

“I must admit, Ness, I admire your courage and bravery. You’ve gone against forces others could only envision in their nightmares.”

The boy tilted his head. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that both you and your friends have earned your places as heroes,” Meta Knight responded. “You’re still young, Ness. You have plently more adventures to tackle in your future.”

Ness smiled. He always believed that he wouldn’t have made it through the fight with Giygas without the help of his friends. Regardless, those words meant a lot coming from someone like Meta Knight. He was beginning to feel bad about judging him so harshly earlier.

“As long as I have my friends beside me, I’ll look foward to it. Thanks, Meta Knight.”

They both returned to gazing at the sky. Meta Knight breathed slowly, taking in the cool air. “Another thing I miss about Dream Land is how the sky used to look.”

Ness looked up. “How so?”

“It was best to view during the nights. They were calm and quiet, and the stars were always so prominent in the sky. It was nice to just sit and watch sometimes, not having to worry about anything.”

Ness nodded, his thoughts returning back to home. “On some mornings, if we were awake enough, my sister and I would go out on the edge of town and watch the sunrise.”

Meta Knight’s eyes shifted. “And how were they?”

Ness could only smile at the memory. “So cool. We’d turn our direction towards the town and watch the sunlight shine on the buildings. It was like watching the the whole town wake up at once.”

“That does sounds like quite the experience.” 

The two fell quiet for a few minutes as they watch the remainder of the sunset sink into the horizon. Turning his attention back to the boy next to him, Meta Knight said, “I figured I should let you know this, but Kirby has taken quite a liking to you.”

“Wait, really?” Ness was fairly close with the pink puffball, as he always let him play alongside the other Smash Kids. One of his favorite moments was when Kirby used some of the Inkling Girl’s ink as paint so he could recreate an image of a bird he saw earlier that day. 

“He’s always talking about how much fun he has when you’re around. From what I’m told, you’re able to understand him?”

“Oh, yeah.” Ness forgot that Meta Knight often serves as a translator for Kirby to other Smashers since he’s unable to comprehend full sentences just yet. “Lucas and I are able to understand everyone regardless since we’ve learned to use our PSI as a way to read minds, however with Kirby it’s not even necessary. I’m just able to understand him somehow.”

Meta Knight thought about it for a moment. “I can’t say that I’ve ever seen a case where that’s happened before. Maybe it’s based around a special connection.”

“Special connection?” That didn’t make much sense to Ness, but if Meta Knight thought so, he’d take his word for it. The knight knew more about Kirby than anyone else. “I mean, possibly. Regardless of what it is though, I love having the little guy around. I know for a fact Lucas does too, and Toon Link and Villager have taken him very close to heart. The Inklings absolutely adore him as well.”

Meta Knight nodded, feeling a sense of contentment. “Well, he likes you, so I know that I can qualify you as a trustworthy subject.”

Ness shrugged. “You allowed me to open up to you, so I guess that means that I can trust you.”

The knight was really thankful that his mask was able to cover up the grin that was forming on his face. “If I may ask, how are you feeling now?”

The boy sighed again. “I feel much better than I did earlier. Yeah, I still miss home and my family and friends, but I realized that I have a home here, too. I’ve got friends in this place that I could never meet back in Onett and I’m forever grateful for them. As long as they’re with me, I’ll make it through.”

Meta Knight simply nodded again. The two continued to watch the night sky for a little bit. 

“You know,” Meta Knight spoke up, “I’m sure if you make it to the dining hall quickly you’ll still be able to get something to eat.”

Ness’ head snapped up, only now realizing just how hungry he was. “Oh, wow, you’re right!” Pushing himself up, he dusted off his clothes. “I should probably go tell Lucas that I’m okay as well.” He began to take off, yelling a thank you to Meta Knight as he ran down the hill back to the Mansion.

The knight waved, the small grin on his face now forming into a genuine smile behind his mask.


End file.
